


This is me Trying

by bigdaddib



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bartender Gendry Waters, F/M, Slow Burn, eventual smut...? more likely than you'd think, not sure how to tag and it shows
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:41:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27794014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigdaddib/pseuds/bigdaddib
Summary: Arya Stark gets bored easily. Whether that be through relationships, or figuring out what she wants to do in life, nothing stays exciting. When she finds herself in a standstill in her own life, unable to progress forward, she decides to commit to something. Really commit. Follow through. Even if something else, or someone else all too exciting, catches her eye.
Relationships: Arya Stark & Gendry Waters, Arya Stark & Sansa Stark, Arya Stark/Gendry Waters, Jaqen H'ghar/Arya Stark, Jon Snow & Arya Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First fanfic I've officially posted, not really sure about the set up on it tbh, but I've been working on this particular fic for a while so I thought it was time to get started :)  
> Don't know how long this will end up being, but I'll try to stick to 10 chapters.

Why Arya was there, in the middle of the night, walking around in her shortest dress and her lucky boots, trying to ignore the lacy thong wedged so far up her arse she was sure she’d have to shit it out? She couldn’t fucking tell you. All she knew was one minute she was having dinner with her boyfriend, the next he had to leave for work. Not mentioning the fact that he was a professor, or that he was her fucking professor, so, what the fuck did work want with him at 10? And why the seven hells couldn’t he at least given her a ride home? 

She would’ve called any one of her siblings, most likely Jon, but the second she reached for her phone it just so happened to die in her hands. 

“Fuck!” she shouted loudly, in front of the very nice restaurant Jaqen had taken her to. Why he did that? Again, she had no fucking idea. Maybe after consistently telling him fancy shit like this made her uncomfortable, he assumed she was simply lying due to her upbringing. Or maybe he never listened to a fucking word that left her mouth.  
Well, she never listened to his seminars either, he was boring as shit. 

Her steps halted, noticing a small-ish dive bar. It looked popular enough at this hour, she heard the music and laughter from across the street. “Mother’s mercy,” she grumbled, not even checking the street before running over. 

Once inside, a phone wasn’t the first thing she asked for. Instead, she sat her sorry ass down at the bar and slammed her purse down on the counter. She fucking hated carrying purses around.

She caught the bartender’s attention with her dramatics, and he caught hers with his…well…

That was a sexy man. 

He handed off the drinks he had been working on before making his way over to her. Arya bit her lip, knowing she was going to have to hold herself back. Just because her boyfriend was an ass and, honestly, not as hot as this guy, didn’t mean she didn’t have one. Besides, she’s been trying to think things through these past few…hours, and not act on every single urge she happened to come across. Like the one telling her to charm the pants off of this bartender.

Placing his elbows on the counter in front of her and leaning forward, he asked, “Bad day?”

She couldn’t help the smirk, nor could she ignore the smell of smoke and water he seemed to give off. “Aren’t you supposed to offer me a light or something?”

His head tilted, “Aren’t you supposed to have a cigarette at the ready?”

She mimicked the tilt, leaning forward herself, “Smoking’s bad for you.”

“So’s an open flame,” he added, the corner of his mouth picking up. “What can I get you?”

Arya looked away, leaning back in her chair. She was already being bad, and this guy was just doing his job. Judging by his looks, he had tipsy girls hitting on him all the time, guys too, probably. She shouldn’t bother him. “I’ll take a beer. Also, a phone at some point would be appreciated.”

He looked her up an down, “Stranded, were ya?”

Her jaw clenched, “That’s one way to look at it.” Opening up her purse she pulled out some money, slid it over. 

He raised a brow at the amount, “What? You want me to dance for you too?”

“Hmmm, not my intention, but if you’re offering,” she placed her chin in her hand, looked him up and down. Maybe it was the odd lighting in the bar, but she could’ve sworn his cheeks reddened. She shook her head, this was exactly what she told herself she wouldn’t do. “Sorry. Just keep the beers coming and pass me a phone when you get the chance, if you don’t mind.”

The bartender shrugged. “The phone here’s busted. Could let you use mine, if the boss man didn’t make me turn it in at the beginning of each shift. I can try and get it back now, you could find someone here to lend you theirs, or… you could wait for my shift to be over?”

He was really trying to make this hard on her, wasn’t he? “Why does he take your phone? What if something important happens?”

Again, he shrugged. “He keeps an eye on it, I tell him who’s important and who isn’t, he lets me know if there’s something going on,” he turned his attention back to her. “So, what’ll it be?”

Look for a different phone she could use, she told herself. Get out of there as quick as you can, this bartender is going to get you into trouble. She opened her mouth to tell him not to worry about it, she’d figure it out, but just as she was going to he started nervously rubbing at the back of his neck. Bringing his impressive bicep into view. 

“Sorry, if that came off too—” he started, but she barely heard him. 

“I’ll be back in that booth over there,” she gestured to the left corner. “Waiting on that phone call. I’ll take that beer in the meantime,”

The doubt in his face gave way to a dazzling smile that had Arya holding her breath. Nodding he said, “Coming right up.” 

Soon after, after “accidently,” brushing the bartender’s fingers when he passed the beer, Arya found herself fighting not to watch his every move. To not ogle at his wide shoulders, square jaw, and definitely not his ass. It didn’t help that their gazes kept colliding, that he didn’t seem to mind having captured her undivided attention. 

“Fuck,” she said to herself, setting the bottle down when it was empty. She had a boyfriend. The first guy who managed to keep her interested for more than a week at a time, that had to mean something, didn’t it? She shouldn’t throw that away for some random hot guy’s deep blue eyes, right? Even if it was matched with the darkest shade of black atop his head. It also didn’t matter that he was hands down the tallest guy she’s ever come across, with the deepest voice, prettiest smile…

No, fuck all that. She was going to give something a chance, she was going to commit to something once in her bloody life and she had already decided on Jaqen. She had to stick to that, or what was the point of making commitments at all? She can’t start switching it up with each set of blue eyes and long legs she came across, that wouldn’t accomplish anything at all. What she had to do was get up, borrow someone’s phone and wait for whatever family member to come and pick her up. 

Or, she would do that if…if she hadn’t already promised that poor bartender she would wait for him. If she was going to let him down, she might as well do it gently, not obviously snub him in his own bar. She wasn’t a monster. 

So, she waited, going over what she wouldn’t say when the time came. She would be polite and friendly, but not quite as friendly as she had been previously. Then that would be it, maybe he’d wait for her to be picked up, he seemed the gentleman type. Sure, they could have small talk during that time, the weather and all that, and if he asked about her situation that’s when she would explain her boyfriend and their misunderstanding. He would understand then wish her goodbye when it was time to go. 

She repeated this over and over, especially when he made his way from the bar and toward her. 

“Boss’s upstairs,” he pointed to the ceiling above him. “If you want to stretch your legs?”

Arya raised a brow, “Is this where you get me alone and murder me?”

There was no questioning his blush this time. “N-no! I didn’t…I just thought, uhm—”

Arya laughed into her hand, “Gods, sorry. I was just teasing,” scooting around the table, she watched the relieved drop of his wide shoulders, his gaze turning sheepish.  
“Right. But really, if you’re not comfortable, I’ll be right down.”

“And do what? I got the feeling the reason I’ve been left alone all night has been you’re doing,” 

Again, he blushed. It was interesting, how this large, sexy man managed to come off so adorable. He really must’ve been nervous, which only made Arya feel guilty. “It didn’t seem like you wanted to be bothered,” he said.

She offered a warm smile, pressing a hand to the side of his arm in just the way she promised she wouldn’t. “Let’s go see the bossman,” 

They walked up to see an older man sitting at a wooden desk, papers strewn about as he exercised the wrinkles creased in his forehead. He looked up as they entered. 

“Gendry?” he called out, “You’ve brought a friend?”

“Davos, uh, this is…uh,” he turned to her. 

“Arya,” she finished for him—Gendry. That was a nice name. Suited him. 

“Arya,” Davos repeated, setting the papers down. “And to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Just came up to get my phone,” Gendry wiped his hands on his jeans as he walked toward the desk. Arya eyed him curiously, didn’t he do this often? Pick up girls from the bar? He was attractive enough, more than attractive enough, she doubted he had to deal with many rejections. 

As Gendry retrieved his phone, him and Davos seemed to have a quick and whispered conversation. A conversation that left Davos with a smile and Gendry with red cheeks, once again. 

Seven Hells, what was she doing to this poor guy? Nothing she didn’t want to, but what she couldn’t. She couldn’t wait until they were outside the club, halfway down the stairs she pressed a hand to his shoulder. He turned to look at her, that’s how tall he was, three steps behind him and they were only barely eye level. 

“Gendry, right?” she started. He nodded, brows pulling together. She sighed, “Listen. I’ve been getting a bit carried away. I’ve got…this boyfriend, and I know I’ve been giving you the wrong idea. I tried to stop, but you kept on getting cuter and I…I’m doing it again. I’m sorry, you don’t deserve this, and if you don’t want to let me use your phone, that’s fine. I can figure something out.” She smiled, realized her hand was still on his shoulder and let it fall off. 

Gendry’s face morphed into something that was near impossible to read. “Right. Should’ve assumed you’d have someone waiting on you—”

“No, you shouldn’t have. I was unfairly flirting with you. I figured you’d be used to it, honestly,” she laughed, trying to lighten the mood. 

The corner of his mouth picked up, not the same smile he showed off earlier, but enough to make her feel a bit better about herself. Shaking his head, he handed her his phone, “Password’s 8782,”  
Arya blinked at him, “Giving me your passcode already?”

“Not like I’ll be seeing you again, yeah?” it wasn’t a question, and he turned away from her in the middle of saying it. Arya’s gut twisted with guilt once again, but there wasn’t anything to be done about it besides give him his space. Typing in the numbers, she went to the phone app, then…

Then…

“Fuck me!” she quite literally slapped her forehead. Fairly hard, there may be a red mark there for the rest of the night. “I’m so fucking stupid!” 

Gendry frowned, looking back at her, “Problem?”

“I don’t know anyone’s bloody number!” exasperated she collapsed against the wall, holding out Gendry’s phone for him. “I’m sorry to have literally wasted all of your time,” 

“I wouldn’t say all of it. Hopefully, I’ve got some left,”

Arya managed a weak smile, keeping her eyes shut pathetically. It was quiet. 

“I could offer you a ride home?” Gendry broke the silence.

“Could you really? After how I’ve treated you?”

“You’d be the one taking a chance here, a scorned stranger taking you home and all.”

Arya opened her eyes to find him looking at his feet and shrugging. “You do bring up a valid point,” her mouth twisted to the side, looking him up and down. More for her own pleasure than to judge his character. Damn, he was fit. “I’ve trusted you up to this point, and at the rate this night is going I may as well get murdered. That is, if you really don’t mind taking home the careless bitch who lead you on?”

Gendry huffed out something close to a laugh, “We barely talked, Arya. Its not like you…” he couldn’t come up with an example, poor thing. 

“Promised you a shag?” Arya offered. 

He blinked at her, “Yeah. You didn’t do that.” 

“I was close to it,” she said and his cheeks reddened. She cursed herself. “Gods, I’m sorry Gendry. You really don’t owe me anything,”

“’S Alright, really. There are worst things than being flirted with by a pretty girl. My rides outside, and you can decide from there if you want me driving you home.” He started down the stairs. Arya frowned as she followed him. 

“What does that mean, exactly?”

Apparently, it meant that he drove a motorbike. A sleek black one, nothing fancy, but still suited him nicely. He held out his extra helmet, eyebrows raised in a question. It only took her a second before she grinned and accepted. 

“I’m at the dorms,” there was only one college close-ish by. Gendry nodded, strapping his helmet on as he threw a leg over the motorbike in a quick, very enticing, fashion. She was giddy at the idea she would have to be completely wrapped around him for the next twenty minutes, so it didn’t take her long to follow suit. 

He revved the bike as she wrapped her arms around his torso, feeling the warmth and hardness coated there. Pressed this close to him confirmed that it was him who smelt fresh of smoke and water, hints of a sort of cologne that made Arya a bit dizzy. It was a bit frustrating, could there be something wrong with him already? She usually didn’t have to wait this long. Even with Jaqen, she was quickly annoyed with the way he pronounced “for,” he always said it like “fir,” it was infuriating. 

It wasn’t fair she met Gendry now. The whole reason she had chosen Jaqen was because he was, at the time, cute enough to hold her interest while still being able to do things like make her laugh and curious, think about him when he wasn’t right in front of her. Wonder about him. 

Of course, she couldn’t be sure Gendry would do these same things quite yet, but she imagined she would be thinking about him long after he drove away tonight.  
Why did she have to do things like this? Why couldn’t she ever be happy with what she had? Why did she always have to go sniffing around something new? Something that smelled like water and smoke and maybe some alcohol from his shift…

She thought she had been doing so well. Her and Jaqen had been together an entire month now, easily the longest relationship she has ever been involved in. She wasn’t bored of him…necessarily…he was just testing her patience. Exasperated her. Didn’t bore rather than exhausted her. At this point she could only see him once a week, and even then, she ended up in situations like this, wrapped around the most handsome stranger she’d ever stumbled across. How lucky. 

It was a nice ride. The best, probably. She knew this because it hardly seemed to last a single second, let alone twenty minutes. She blinked and then she was in front of her dorms, having to unwrap herself from this delicious boy and bid him farewell. 

It was cold as she stood on her own two feet, so cold she almost sat right back down and demand he drive her around the block. But she didn’t, instead she unbuckled the helmet, or at least tried to. Gendry ended up having to help, his fingers hot against the skin of her neck. Goosebumps rose up her neck, down her arms, her stomach twisted. She wished she had never committed herself to Jaqen in that moment but made herself forget the thought crossed her mind. 

Gendry took the helmet and Arya shook out her hair, finding him staring when she had finished. “Thanks, Gendry. You didn’t have to,”

He shrugged, “You gave me quite a generous tip. Figured I had to give your money’s worth in some way,”

Arya bit her lip, staring at his hands. He had the good kind, wide knuckled, long fingered… “Guess this is goodbye, then?”

Gendry nodded, “Wouldn’t want to worry your boyfriend.”

Reflexively Arya rolled her eyes, “Yeah well…I doubt he gave it much thought. You wouldn’t mind if I…dropped by the bar sometime, to say hello?”

Gendry looked away, breathing out a laugh. 

“As a friend, of course,” Arya tried. “No funny business.”

“Well,” Gendry turned back to look at her, “If you promise there’ll be no funny business.” 

She smiled, unable to stop herself. “Great. Around this time, then? Saturday again, or…?”

He smiled back, “Try Thursday through Sunday, maybe you’ll get lucky,” with that he put his helmet back on and Arya watched him drive away, feeling ridiculously giddy. Thursday it was, then.


	2. Chapter 2

“Arya,” Jaqen stopped her from leaving the classroom. She huffed, letting him walk her behind his desk.

“Yes, professor?” she mocked. 

He lips set and he looked at her like she was a little girl. Well, he was fucking this little girl, that made him the bad guy. She only mimicked his look.   
“You’re being childish, Arya,”

Perfect, she had just the comeback. “You’re the one fucking this child,” she shot back immediately. 

“No. I thought I was fucking a serious young lady who knew what she wanted and went for it.”

Arya blinked at him, “You’re fucking my sister?”

He sighed heavily, “Arya—”

“No, fuck you. That was shitty. I had no ride home, I had to find some bar, flirt my way into a ride home—”

“You let some stranger take you home?” he had the nerve to interrupt. 

She pushed a pointer finger in his chest, “Oh don’t you fucking dare. I was left alone in the middle of fucking nowhere without a proper explanation, my phone was dead, and that stranger was the only decent thing to come of that entire experience. This is not the time to give me some sort of freebie lecture on stranger danger,"

“Alright, Arya. You’re upset, I got that. Are you going to let me try and make it up to you, or will I have to wait a week for you to get over it?” he looked at her tiredly. Obviously, he hadn’t even considered giving her an apology. Gendry, through out those three and half hours she knew him, had offered her several. 

“You’re not even going to try and say sorry? Could save you a lot of trouble in the end if you gave it a chance,”

He licked his lips, bored. “I’m sorry,” he deadpanned. 

Arya shoved harshly at his chest, “I don’t want it like that you fucking dick.” She stomped her way out of that stuffy as all seven hells classroom. 

“Why did you choose him to torture yourself with again?” Sansa asked. 

“Because I thought he was as good as it would get for me,” Arya told her sister honestly. “Not in he’s the best guy I’d be able to grab or anything, or that he’s the best sort of guy in the world. But the best as in the closest I’d get to satisfaction in a relationship. He doesn’t bore me, and he doesn’t…well, he doesn’t bore me basically. I don’t want to downplay that point, though, that’s a big deal for me. Not that, that even matters apparently. I just met this bartender guy and I had a hell of a time not totally throwing myself at him. I think I’m just a lost cause, honestly,” Arya huffed, going back to punching at the punching bag. Sansa simply considered her from her own punching bag. She wasn’t much on working out, usually, but she wanted Arya to start training her. However, instead of training, Sansa usually just got Arya talking about her personal life. 

“A bartender, huh? It’s always fun when they’re cute,” she punched the bag for show. Arya didn’t bother to correct her. 

An idea dawned on her. “You wanna meet him?” she asked. 

Sansa blinked, “Jaqen? I had his class last year, Arya.” 

“No, the bartender! I really put him through it, and I think making it up to him through my hotter older sister would make it up to him,”

Sansa rolled the idea around in her head, “I don’t know…he’s cute?”

Arya stopped punching, walked up to her sister. “Sansa,” she looked her seriously in the eye. “This bartender is quite possibly the hottest person I have ever seen in my life. Not only that, he was the absolute sweetest thing. Really, I’d be doing you more of a favor than him.”

Sansa’s brow rose, “Sounds like you really like this guy,”

Arya nodded, “I’m obsessed with him as of late. Which is annoying, cause I really thought Jaqen was the guy to keep me occupied for maybe a year, or at least until I find out about his wife and kids or something,” 

“So why don’t you ditch Jaqen for this guy?”

Arya huffed, going back to the punching bag, “Because I am following something—someone—through! I can’t keep dumping these guys for every other hot guy I happen to stumble across, I need to practice some self-control!” she repeated the words she’s been chanting to herself since she forced herself to let Gendry drive away. “I’m going to the bar on Thursday, you’re coming with me.”

“I don’t know Arya, this seems pretty sticky.”

“You better hope it gets sticky, you lucky duck.” 

“You’re still upset,” Jaqen was obviously irritated with her.

“I didn’t say that, I said I was busy,” Arya responded through the phone, in the passenger seat of Sansa’s car. 

“Busy with what?” he demanded. 

“Going to a bar with my sister. You may remember her from last semester? Sansa Stark? Redhead? Did you wanna sleep with her too, or was I your first?”

“What bar, I’ll join you,”

Arya rolled her eyes, “Must you? I was hoping to do some matchmaking,”

“You can’t matchmake while I’m there?”

Arya shrugged, “I don’t know, will you be good?”

“As good as I get.”

“Fine, but no lecturing and making us feel like children. Just because you’re old doesn’t mean we have to act like we are too,” 

“I’ll try my best, send me the address.”

Sansa frowned when Arya hung up the phone, “My old professor is going to the bar with us?”

“Honestly, if you two fall through, I don’t completely trust myself not to swoop in and take him for myself. I need to be held accountable.” 

“I could hold you accountable.”

Arya threw her head back and barked out a laugh, “Yeah, like I listen to you.” 

The bar wasn’t as busy on a Thursday night, so it was easy to spot Gendry. Not that it would’ve been difficult otherwise, but there were less things to distracted from the flex in his arms and clench of his jaw. 

“What did I tell you,” she whispered to Sansa. 

Sansa nodded, “You have been nothing but genuine.”

Gendry looked up, the corner of his mouth picking upon when Arya. Greeting him with a fully developed smile, Arya grabbed Sansa’s wrist and sat at the bar. “Hello Gendry, I’ve brought you a present.”

He raised a brow, glancing at Sansa, “Would that present be a woman?”

“I felt so guilty for using you and spitting you out like that, so I thought I’d bring over my hotter older sister as a peace offering,” she gestured toward Sansa. 

“Arya, I did not think you were actually going to present me like that,” Sansa muttered, more annoyed than embarrassed.

Gendry busied himself with wiping off the counter, hardly even looking up. “I’m closing up tonight, I doubt you’d wanna wait up for that long,” he said in a sort of a grunt. Sansa turned towards Arya with a raised brow. 

Arya frowned at the clear dismissal, “Did you even look at her?”

Gendry looked up with an obviously forced smile. He turned to Sansa, “You’re very pretty,” he nodded. “Can I get you two anything?” he asked, already turning away from them. 

“Vodka soda,” Sansa was quick to answer. 

“I-I’ll take that beer,” Arya said.

Gendry turned to get their drinks. 

“Well that was disappointing,” Arya said. “Sorry. He is hot though, right?”

“Yes, very. Can’t say I’m too disappointed though, wouldn’t wanna be with a guy who was so obviously into you.”

This didn’t make Arya feel any better. “We’ve only met the once, he can’t be that into me.”

“Really? You seem practically in love with him already.”

Arya opened her mouth to object, closed it, then opened it, and just as she was about to speak Jaqen walked through the door. He immediately spotted them, walking over and placing his hand on Arya’s lower back. 

“Not what I was expecting. The way you described things, Arya, made me think you were heading to some popping club.”

Arya rolled her eyes, “The only thing ‘popping’ are your joints, old man.” 

She felt Jaqen roll his eyes and press a kiss to the top of her head. “Sansa,” he greeted cooly. “How are your classes going?”

Arya snorted. 

Sansa looked him up and down, “Just fine Professor H’garr. Nothing compared to your class, of course,” her disapproval was clear in her gaze. 

Arya plopped in her chin in her hand dejectedly. Now there was absolutely no reason for this outing, and she wasn’t particularly excited to just hang around Sansa and Jaqen all night. Maybe separately could be bearable, but together they canceled out any fun available. 

Two drinks were slid there way and she looked to see Gendry with no expression at all. “Beer and vodka soda. How about you sir?” he looked to Jaqen, face unreadable. 

“I’m fine, thank you,” 

At least he didn’t ask for red wine. “Here,” Arya slid over another fifty. Gendry didn’t even check the amount before walking away. She felt even worse than she had the other night. “Excuse me a sec,” she told her party, pointedly ignoring any face Sansa may be making at her. Instead she followed to where Gendry had walked off to, polishing cups. “Your mad at me,” she said. 

“Why would I be mad at you,” he didn’t really ask, didn’t even look at her. Just polished his cups. 

Arya shrugged, “Beats me. I came here with a knockout, you should really be thanking me,”

“I didn’t ask for a knockout,” he answered curtly.

“You know how many guys would kill for just a conversation with Sansa? I don’t think you understand the opportunity I’m giving you here,”

Gendry finally looked at her, eyes tired. “Thank you for the opportunity,”

Arya’s brow scrunched. She sat in the stool opposite him. “Okay, fine. I’m sorry, I guess. Are you really closing tonight?”

“Do you need a ride home?”

“No.”

“Then I’m closing. I always close, I live upstairs,” he nodded his up head up toward the ceiling.

“With that old guy?” she clarified. 

He laughed, “With that old guy,” he confirmed. 

“So, you went completely out of your way all night just to help me out, and you won’t let me fix you up with a hot girl?” Arya leaned forward to lock their gazes, incase he resorted back to looking at the glasses he was polishing. 

“You needed help. I don’t need to be…fixed up,” his eyes were steady on hers. So steady she forgot what exactly they were talking about for a second, especially when she glanced down toward his lips.

She shook her head, leaning back into a regular sitting position. “Well, what can I do to make it up to you?”

Gendry shook his head, “Nothing.”

Arya twisted her mouth to the side in concentration. “You got a pen?”

Gendry blinked, leaned down to look somewhere under the bar, came back with a pen. He held it out to her. She took the pen and kept ahold of his hand. “If you ever think of something, send me a text, and I’ll get right on it, yeah?” she finished writing her number on the back of his hand and looked up at him, trying not to appear too hopeful.

Gendry stared at his hand for a bit, swallowed, then looked up to her and nodded. When it was clear that’s all she was going to get she sighed and stood up. “Well, better get back to them before they kill me. I’ll see you. And again, I’m sorry,” she smiled before making her way back to a very awkward Sansa and Jaqen. Sansa wasted no time in sending Arya a deadly glare. 

“Who was that?” Jaqen was quick to ask. 

“The bartender she’s smitten with,” Sansa answered for her, seeking her revenge. 

Arya didn’t have time to respond before Jaqen spoke again, “Is he the one who drove you home?”

Arya didn’t see a point in denying any of it, “He sure is. Really did me a solid, the dorms were totally out of his way. I was trying to set him up with Sansa but—”

“But he’s obviously only interested in you,” Sansa took a sip of her vodka soda. Arya simply stared, unable to conjure up the energy to glare. Her unenthusiastic meeting with Gendry really seemed to take something out of her. 

“Can’t blame the bloke,” Jaqen answered, tilting Arya’s chin for a slow kiss. She didn’t want to kiss him, with Gendry right there and all, but she didn’t know how to refuse it. It was a nice kiss, Jaqen’s kisses were always nice. Well practice, never too wet. Usually she quite enjoyed them, but pulling away from this one she had the overwhelming urge to wipe it off with the back of her hand. 

“Well,” she spoke up after, “This turned out to be a bust. You guys good to leave?”

“Please,” Sansa wasted no time in hopping onto her feet. 

“I’ll take her home,” Jaqen kindly offered. 

Sansa raised a brow, her and Arya shared a dorm room. “You mean your place?”

Jaqen didn’t bother to answer. All night, despite Jaqen’s obvious attempts to keep her distracted, she couldn’t help but check her phone.


	3. Chapter 3

Three weeks later and there were no new numbers in her phone, and three weeks later she kept checking just in case there might be.

It must be because she couldn’t have him, she’d decided with in that time. If had simply dragged him off that bike and up to her dorm that first night, she’d be clean of him completely. But since she hadn’t, more importantly told herself she couldn’t, she’d taken to obsessing. Over him. Over Gendry. Blue eyed, black haired, long legged, strong armed, bright smiled…

So far his only flaw was not falling were Sansa when he was supposed to, and that wasn’t a flaw at all. The not texting her, on the other hand…  
Was also not a flaw because he knew she had a girlfriend and didn’t want to push any boundaries. Damn him. His flaw was that he was flawless, which, for the third time, wasn’t a real flaw. 

“Ms. Stark, please put your phone away,” Jaqen—excuse her—Mr. H’garr called out in the middle of class. She’d been fiddling with the phone case, acting like she wasn’t expecting a text. 

Arya blinked up at him, surprised. She could tell his patience with her phone was wearing thin, snatching it from her every opportunity he got, she was sure he was trying to check it without her noticing. But to both of their disappointments, there was nothing incriminating in it. Well, disappointing to her, she imagined he was only getting more and more frustrated. 

So frustrated, he decided to call her out in the middle of class. It was enough to make her smirk. Raising a brow she maintained eye contact and slipped it into her back pocket. Jaqen wasn’t the sort to call out students during class, rather than call for them afterwards. His student assistant, “The Waif” however, was always shouting shit Arya wasn’t sure student teachers could get away with. It was quiet one second longer before Jaqen got back into teaching about the Gods. Arya found herself grinning the rest of the way through class. 

Jaqen did that to her. Sure, he frustrated her, maybe even bullied her. But she gave as good as she got, so when she won it tasted that much sweeter. To beat him in his own game, she fucking lived for it. It didn’t always happen, in fact, you could say he usually won. At least, in the beginning of their relationship he did, when she was pursuing him and he was holding up the act of the strictly business Professor. 

Until she had won.

But that only made him harsher with her, her essays, tests, he was unyielding when it came to Arya and that’s the way she liked it. Most of the time, when it was her on top. When it was him on top she only wanted to throttle him, ring his exotic neck, tear that pompous accent straight out of his throat. And he was on top majority of the time, she wasn’t going to lie. But those rare moment, when she got to see his eyes narrow and his nostrils flare, she never felt more victorious. 

She eyed Jaqen the rest of class, eyes moving up and down. She shouldn’t forget how attractive he was. With the tan skin, long legs, funky hair. More than half the girls on campus were interested, and as far as Arya knew she was the only one to make any headway. She wasn’t going to accept this at face value, seduced by one nineteen year old you were vulnerable to the whole lot, she wasn’t stupid. She also didn’t much care. If he was sleeping with other students, or if he wanted to. As far as she was concerned it added to the mystery, gave her another challenge to overcome. 

Class was over and she went straight to his office. He had a thirty-minute break until his next class and Arya didn’t care about turning up late to hers.

She was sat on his desk, scrolling through her phone when he came in. His arms crossed and his eyebrows raised. 

“Miss Stark,”

“Arya, please. Miss Stark is my sister,” she didn’t look up from her phone, biting the inside of her cheek. 

“Aren’t you expected in Mr. Clegane’s classroom?” 

She didn’t answer, scrolling. 

“I won’t do it again, you brat.”

Her phone was forgotten as she pounced on her religion professor. She never made it to Clegane’s class, and she never found it in herself to care. 

As fun as that office visit was, the second the door closed behind her she was checking her phone again. Really, nothing? He couldn’t risk a single word to her? She should’ve gotten his number instead, then she could…

Well, make an even bigger arse of herself. Sighing, she shoved her phone into her back pocket and decided she was done with it completely. With Gendry, that is, not her phone, it was already established the phone had its necessities. However, Gendry did not, no matter how much it appeared he did. She had a boyfriend already, who she found attractive and kept her on her toes, and that’s all she needed. Why she was so taken with Gendry in the first place, she couldn’t truly place. Sure, he was ridiculously attractive, but so were lots of people. Ned Dayne, for example, Joffrey, for another one. Neither made her dizzy as Gendry did, or at all. 

And it wasn’t as though he challenged her like Jaqen did. He seemed pretty willing from the moment they met, no games necessary, just red cheeks blue eyes. 

Maybe it was the motorcycle, she hadn’t added that into the equation yet. Perhaps that’s what popped her over the edge. The smell of smoke and water, wrapped tightly around his back, weaving around cars and through traffic lights. It was the most fun she’d had all month. 

Well, if that’s all it was, she should go ahead and get herself a bike then. She didn’t need Gendry for that. She didn’t need Gendry for anything, she had everything she needed already. 

But…checking her phone one more time wouldn’t hurt, would it? 

Another two weeks later, while she still made last check in the morning and before she went to bed, Gendry was finally stored deep in the back of her mind. He didn’t nag, didn’t irritate. She was too busy getting nagged and irritated by everyone else in her bloody life. 

Sansa didn’t miss any opportunity to communicate her disapproval of Arya’s relationship, while everyone else in her family never missed an opportunity to pester her into bringing him over to meet everyone. Besides Sansa, no one else knew who she was seeing. They assumed he was another student, naturally, and she never did anything to confirm or deny those ideas. The only reason Sansa knew was because it would be too difficult to hide her…serious? Relationship from her roommate. 

She wanted to tell Jon, to simply talk about the relationship and her feelings and all that, because he listened where Sansa only judged. But she knew he wouldn’t approve either, and that would hurt. More than her parents disapproval, more than any of her other siblings, his approval was most important. Not because he was the most important to her, which he may be if she were being totally honest, but because he rarely disapproved of her. They were too connected, too understanding of one another. He approved of most of the things she did because they were something close to the same person, there were no second thoughts involved between the two of them. Yet, she couldn’t come to Jon about this because this was one thing he couldn’t understand, one thing that separated them. 

She was sure he had that thing too, that bit that was his darkest part. That was what this thing with Jaqen was. Her darkest part. The part that liked to be…put in her place. Moreover, liked to put him in his place. Maybe Jon could understand that feeling, but he couldn’t approve. 

It hurt him, she saw, that she wouldn’t tell him who she was showing, wouldn’t let them meet. He got all quiet, focused all his attention on his phone or his napkin or the sleeve of his jacket, brooding. 

“Is it a girl?”

Arya rolled her eyes, not bothering to answer. 

“They want you to bring him, to the party,”

Arya nodded, again not bothering to answer. “And are you bringing Ygritte?’

Jon’s face paled. “That’s different.”

“I didn’t say it was,”

“I told you about Ygritte. In fact, you’re the only one I told, so my point stands now more than ever,”

Arya turned silent.

He got quiet too, angrily. Arya pointedly ignored it. 

“Why is now the time for secrets?” 

Arya huffed, taking a deep gulp of her coffee. “If I were keeping secrets, I wouldn’t have told you I was seeing anyone at all.”

“Well, you might as well have done that.” He grunted. “Robert bloody Baratheon is bringing his son who’s suddenly popped up, and you can’t even introduce us to your boyfriend.”

Arya pressed a hand to her chest. “Never have I claimed to possess the same courage as Robert Baratheon.”

Jon twirled his empty cup. “Sansa knows,” 

The heaviest sigh she’s ever conjured spilled from her mouth. “I knew you were going to do that.”

“You told Sansa before you told me. That fucking stings.”

“You know it meant nothing Jon, I thought of you the whole time.”

“Piss off,” he leaned forward onto his elbows. “Two fucking months with this guy, the longest relationship you’ve ever had, and I can’t know about him.”

Arya was getting twitchy now. “How many times must we go through this?”

“I reckon till you give in and introduce us. I won’t tell the rest of them if that’s the problem. Don’t know why you think I would. If Sansa can keep her mouth shut, then I sure as all hells—”

“Jon! Can we move on? Or are you just gonna make me feel guilty for the next thirty minutes?”

Jon shrugged, “That was about the plan, yeah.”

Arya rolled her eyes. “What do you think of this Robert thing, then?” Arya tried. 

It seemed to work. “Really don’t know. The man’s probably got over a hundred kids all over the bloody country, don’t know what makes this one so special.”

It was Arya’s turn to shrug, “Maybe he’s the first sure one he’s found.”

“Don’t know why he’s looking anyway, first time I’ve seem him care about something real since…well, you know.”

“Maybe he’s dying.” Arya offered. 

Jon nodded somberly, “Maybe he’s dying.”

It was quiet. It was rarely ever quiet between her and Jon. “I don’t assume you know how to drive a motorbike?” she tried. 

Jon blinked at her. “Uhm, no? Have you bought one?”

Arya shrugged, “I was thinking about it.”

“Without out knowing how to drive it,” he didn’t ask, simply stated, leaning back into his chin. 

“I thought it sounded sort of exciting,”

Jon squinted at her. 

She suddenly felt as though he was in her mind with her, poking around, looking under the bed. He saw Jaqen, he saw Gendry, and he saw all her conflicts within that. The deeper roots, the probable mommy issues. He was sorting through it, making bookmarks, and soon he was going to fix it all for her. Only, that’s not what happened. Apparently, he was not in her mind at all, and she only wished he could take care of it all for her. 

“I’ll go with you to look around. But if Catelyn asks, I had nothing to do with it.” 

It was lucky Jon had a truck, they used to it transfer the impulse buy light grey motorcycle. They left the dealer’s and went straight to the annual Stark get together. 

“You know anyone who can teach you to ride it?” Jon asked as they walked up to the doorway. 

Her mouth twisted to the side. “Kind of. Not really, I guess,” she checked her phone. 

“I do, I can call him up if you want?” he knocked on the door. They were late, and her mother always yelled at them when they casually walked in. It was “rude,” and made it look like we thought we were “better than everyone”. Whatever that meant. 

“I guess,” Arya sighed. This was supposed to make her stop thinking about Gendry, but within the thirty minutes she’s had the motorcycle, she thought about him more than she had all week. All progress she had made, lost with a single handshake. 

Jon turned to her, confusion written all over his face, but before he could speak an exasperated Catelyn Stark opened the door. 

“So good of you to join us. I do hope there was no trouble in getting here,” her smile was gentle, but her grip was tight as she dragged Arya through the front door. “Go greet everyone,” she brushed her off, but not before efficiently stripping both Arya and Jon of their coats. Arya and Jon shared a look before submerging themselves into the upper-class crowd. 

Sansa found her straight away, gripping her elbow in same way their mother had. “You won’t believe this,” she whispered, dragging Arya off to a corner. 

“What?” she quickly asked. 

“Robert’s son, its—”

“Gendry!” 

Arya jumped, worried she had sunken so low as to start hearing things. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Jon greet a well-dressed bartender Gendry with quick hug and hardy pat on the back. She shook her head, blinked once or twice. Had she started seeing things as well? 

“You don’t see him too, do you?” Arya asked Sansa. 

Her sister was grinning ear to ear. 

“You do? Do you see Jon hugging him too?” 

Sansa’s smile wavered. “Huh,” she turned to the pair. “I guess I do.” 

“What do we do?” Arya turned back to Sansa, quite at a loss. IF they were anywhere else she would have sauntered straight up to him and demand him to text her right that second. But here? With her whole family? And his new identity as Robert’s son? What was she supposed to do with all of that? 

“Well, he saw me, so I assume he’s expecting you to show up eventually.”

This didn’t necessarily make things better for her, “Really?”

Sansa evaluated her younger sister. “He really makes you nervous, huh? I’ve never seen you so skittish,”

Arya was immediately insulted. “I am not skittish,” to prove her point, she headed straight towards Gendry. He was already looking at her by the time she turned back around, still talking with Jon. Arya smacked a smile onto his face. 

“Arya,” Jon greeted first. “This is-”

“Gendry,” Arya finished for him. Still, she held out a hand for the apparent Baratheon. Just to feel it if anything. “We’ve met,”

Jon’s brows rose. “Really? Where?”

“At the bar,” Gendry answered, giving Arya’s hand a good, warm, calloused, shake. Arya bit her lip. Gods. “She was quite stranded.”

“What?” Jon turned to Arya, “Why didn’t you call me?”

“My phone died, dummy. I was going to use to Gendry’s phone, but I haven’t memorized anyone’s number since 2006 so,” 

“How did you end up stranded, anyway?”

“Her boyfriend,” Sansa jumped into the conversation from behind Arya. “Left her with no where to go in the middle of the night.”

Arya huffed, rolled her eyes. “That’s so last month,”

Jon looked worried, despite Arya standing right in front of him, alive and safe. “How’d you get home, then?”

Arya placed a hand on Gendry’s arm, more to feel it than anything else. It was firm, curved, warm. Big. Gods. “This knight in shining armor gave me a ride home,” she smiled up at him. His cheeks, as expected, reddened. 

Jon seemed to come to realization. “Is that why you wanted to get a motorcycle?”

Arya actively forced herself not to be embarrassed. “Sure is. Haven’t had that much fun in,” she glanced up to the ceiling. “Well, you know.” 

“Do you know how to drive a motorcycle?” Gendry asked, looking down at her. IT was then she realized her hand was still on his arm, and how close she had to be standing to that casually. His eyes were even bluer up close, hair blacker. Gods. 

She didn’t even force herself to pull away. “No,” she snorted. “It was an impulse buy, as are most of the things I buy.”

“You already bought it?”

“Just before we got here,” Jon answered for her. “It’s in the back of my trunk right now.”

Arya had the most splendid idea. Looking up and Gendry, unabashedly fluttered her lashes. “You’ll teach me, won’t you?”

Gendry stared for a moment, cleared his throat, then looked away. “Y-yeah. I can do that.” 

To keep from smiling she bit the inside of her cheek. Sansa raised a brow at her and she was instantly ashamed. Dropping her hand and stepping away like a good girl. “Great,” she kept the mood by remaining cheerful. “Text me when you’re available,” she looked at him pointedly, and Gendry took the hint to look sheepish. “How do you and Jon know each other?”

“He fixed my car for me,” Jon answered through a laugh. “It was a little bit ago. I was asking this guy at the gas station if there were any mechanics around, I guess he overheard and said he could take a look at it,”

Arya laughed, “Well aren’t you handy,” she fought herself not to wink, but it would be so easy.

“Did you have to flirt with him too?” Sansa asked Jon. Arya quite obviously stepped on her sister’s foot.   
“Must you?” she asked. 

Jon laughed, “Maybe a little.”


End file.
